US6872555B2 - Nucleic acid molecules encoding enzymes having fructosyltransferase activity, and their use - Google Patents

Nucleic acid molecules encoding enzymes having fructosyltransferase activity, and their use Download PDF

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US6872555B2
US6872555B2 US09/798,791 US79879101A US6872555B2 US 6872555 B2 US6872555 B2 US 6872555B2 US 79879101 A US79879101 A US 79879101A US 6872555 B2 US6872555 B2 US 6872555B2
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nucleic acid
acid molecule
acid sequence
fructosyltransferase
protein
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Arnd G. Heyer
Jochen Rehm
Regina Wendenburg
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Max Planck Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Wissenschaften eV
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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
    • C12P—FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE
    • C12P19/00—Preparation of compounds containing saccharide radicals
    • C12P19/04—Polysaccharides, i.e. compounds containing more than five saccharide radicals attached to each other by glycosidic bonds
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
    • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
    • C12N9/00—Enzymes; Proenzymes; Compositions thereof; Processes for preparing, activating, inhibiting, separating or purifying enzymes
    • C12N9/10—Transferases (2.)
    • C12N9/1048—Glycosyltransferases (2.4)
    • C12N9/1051—Hexosyltransferases (2.4.1)

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding polypeptides having the enzymatic activity of a fructosyltransferase.
  • the invention furthermore relates to vectors and hosts containing such nucleic acid molecules.
  • the present invention also relates to processes for producing fructosyltransferase and the production of polyfructoses of the inulin type in various host organisms or in vitro, as well as the fructosyltransferase encoded by the nucleic acid molecules described which may be used to produce polyfructoses of the inulin type.
  • Water-soluble, linear polymers can be put to various uses, for examples for increasing the viscosity of aqueous systems, as detergents, as suspension agents or for sedimentation acceleration and complexing, but also to bind water.
  • Saccharide-based polymers for example fructosyl polysaccharides, are particularly interesting starting materials as they are biologically degradable.
  • fructosyl polymers are attractive as food additives, for example as sweeteners.
  • Polymers of various chain lengths are required for the various applications. While for the food sector polymers of short or medium chain length are preferred, technical applications, for example the production of surfactants, require polymers with a high degree of polymerization (DP).
  • levan sucrose from microorganisms, particularly from Aerobacter levanicum, Streptococcus salivarius and Bacillus subtilis , or of dextrane sucrases from Leuconostoc mesenteroides . Neither the generation of the active enzyme, nor that of levan or dextrane nor the production of transgenic plants is described.
  • PCT/EP93/02110 discloses a method for producing transgenic plants which express the lsc gene of the levan sucrase from the gram-negative bacterium Erwinia amylovora .
  • the plants produce a high-molecular, highly branched levan.
  • PCT/NL93/00279 describes the transformation of plants with chimeric genes that contain the sacB gene from Bacillus subtilis . Such plants produce a branched levan.
  • the bacterial fructosyltransferases used in PCT/US89/02729, PCT/EP93/02110 and PCT/NL93/00279 synthesize levan, a ⁇ -2,6 linked fructosyl polymer which has numerous ⁇ -2,1 branchings. Due to the numerous branchings, however, levan involves decisive disadvantages for the technical processing and is therefore much less in demand as technical starting material than inulin which displays ⁇ -2,1 linkings.
  • PCT/NL93/00279 describes the transformation of plants with said gene which synthesize high-molecular inulin but in such small amounts that it cannot be economically utilized.
  • PCT/EP97/02195 describes a process for producing transgenic, inulin-producing plants with the ftf gene from Streptococcus mutans .
  • the yield of high-molecular inulin is low. While it is possible to express the gene in plants if the gene was genetically engineered beforehand, the yield in inulin that can be obtained from transgenic plants is so low that the transgenic plants cannot be economically utilized.
  • PCT/NL96/00012 discloses DNA sequences which encode carbohydrate polymer-synthesizing enzymes as well as the production of transgenic plants using said DNA sequences.
  • the sequences disclosed originate from Helianthus tuberosus .
  • the sequences disclosed can be used to modify the fructan profile of petunia and potato but also of Helianthus tuberosus itself.
  • Expression of the sequences disclosed which encode a sucrose-dependent sucrose fructosyltransferase (SST) or a fructan fructosyl transferase in transgenic plants allows the production of inulin.
  • the process described in PCT/NL96/00012 does not allow to produce high-molecular inulin.
  • DE 197 08 774.4 relates to the production of 1-kestose and nystose using enzymes having fructosyl polymerase activity.
  • the tri- and tetrasaccharide may be produced in transgenic plants. The yield is high and in potato corresponds to the cellular content of sucrose. However, the production of longer-chain inulin is not described.
  • the synthesis of polyfructoses by fungi is also discussed in many publications. Barthomeuf and Pourrat (Biotechnology Letters 17 (1995), 911-916), describe, e.g., an enzyme preparation of Penicillium rugulosum which has fructosyltransferase activity.
  • the preparation exhibits various enzymatic properties and therefore does not represent a pure fructosyltransferase.
  • DNA sequences of the fructosyltransferase gene are not known.
  • Cairns et al. (New Phytologist 129 (1995), 299-308) describe a transient synthesis of tri-, tetra- and pentasaccharides from sucrose in the culture medium of Monographella nivalis .
  • the underlying enzymatic activity appears to be of mainly hydrolytic nature since the polyfructoses are degraded again by the enzyme with increasing substrate exhaustion.
  • fructofuranosidases invertases
  • the problem underlying the present invention is therefore to provide nucleic acid molecules and processes allowing to produce genetically engineered organisms that are capable of generating polyfructoses of the inulin type.
  • the invention thus relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding a fructosyltransferase, selected from the group consisting of
  • Seq ID No. 1 encodes a sucrose-dependent fructan fructosyltransferase from Aspergillus sydowi which leads in plant cells to the synthesis of a long-chain polyfructan of the inulin type. It was surprisingly found that it is possible to produce long-chain polyfructans of the inulin type in high yields in host organisms, specifically in transgenic plants, bacteria or fungi when using said sequences.
  • the enzyme was purified up to homogeneity so as to be able to detect amino acid sequences.
  • primers for a polymerase chain reaction were detected.
  • Gene fragments were amplified with the help of these primers which were used for screening cDNA libraries.
  • Several cDNA molecules with sequence homology to the PCR products were prepared and compared. Most of the cDNA molecules obtained had inserts of the same size. Completeness of the cDNA molecules was confirmed upon functional expression of the DNA sequences in Saccharomyces or in potato.
  • the purification of the enzymes, the design of primers for PCR, the identification of cDNA molecules and the heterologous expression are described in the examples.
  • the isolated DNA sequence and its derivable protein sequence are depicted in Seq. ID No 1 and 2, respectively.
  • the DNA sequence according to the invention is the first to encode a sucrose-dependent fructan fructosyltransferase from fungi.
  • the DNA sequence and the protein sequence encoded by it differ widely from DNA sequences encoding already known fructosyltransferases. For example, there is only a 22.6% and 39% identity with the fructosyltransferase from Aspergillus naeslundii lev j on the protein and DNA level, respectively.
  • a fructosyltransferase is understood to be a protein which is capable of catalyzing the linkage of ⁇ -2,1-glycosidic and/or ⁇ -2,6-glycosidic bonds between fructose units.
  • the fructosyl residue to be transferred originates from sucrose.
  • the reaction catalyzed by a sucrose-dependent fructan fructosyltransferase according to the invention can be depicted as follows: n (G ⁇ F) ⁇ G ⁇ F n +( n ⁇ 1)G
  • G glucose
  • F fructose
  • G ⁇ F sucrose. I.e., the enzyme transfers fructose residues from sucrose to a polyfructan which is formed starting from a sucrose molecule by ⁇ -2,1-glycosidic links, wherein ⁇ -2,6 glycosidic links may also occur.
  • a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention with the activity of a fructosyltransferase leads to the synthesis of polyfructose and particularly in plant cells to the synthesis of polyfructose of the inulin type (hereinafter also referred to as inulin).
  • polyfructose is understood to be a polyfructan with a polymerization degree of DP ⁇ 4, preferably of DP ⁇ 6, and specifically of DP ⁇ 8.
  • Polyfructose of the inulin type” or “inulin” is intended to refer to a long-chain fructan polymer, the molecules of which are mainly ⁇ -2,1-glycosidically linked and optionally also have ⁇ -2,6 branches.
  • the term “long-chain” means that the polymerization degree (DP) is more than 20, preferably more than 50, more preferably more than 100 and most preferred more than 200.
  • the fructosyl polymer may bear a terminal glucose residue which is linked via C-1 OH group of the glucose and the C-2 OH group of a fructosyl residue.
  • one molecule sucrose is contained in the fructosyl polymer.
  • the enzyme encoded by the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention may be particularly distinguished from known fructosyltransferases due to the catalyzed reaction.
  • the known plant SSTs catalyze the reaction: G ⁇ F+G ⁇ F ⁇ G ⁇ F ⁇ F+G.
  • the fructan-dependent fructan-fructosyltransferases from plants catalyze the reaction: G ⁇ F n +G ⁇ F m ⁇ G ⁇ F n+1 +G ⁇ F m ⁇ 1 , this reaction being completely reversible.
  • Bacterial fructosyltransferases e.g., that encoded by the sacB gene from Bacillus subtilis , also catalyze a reaction of the type n G ⁇ F ⁇ G ⁇ F n +( n ⁇ 1)G.
  • the protein (an FTF) encoded by the ftf gene from Streptococcus mutans induces the synthesis of inulin with a molecular weight of several million Daltons.
  • the ftf gene or the encoded protein does not exhibit an appreciable homology to the nucleic acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID No. 1 (only 37.3%) or the amino acid sequence depicted in SEQ ID No. 2 (only 22.6%).
  • hybridization means hybridization under conventional hybridization conditions, preferably under stringent conditions, such as described in Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2 nd edition (1989) Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.
  • stringent hybridization conditions is the hybridization in 50% formamide, 5 ⁇ SSC, 5 ⁇ Denhardt's solution, 40 mM sodium phosphate pH 6.8; 0.5% (wt./vol.) BSA, 1% (wt./vol.) SDS, 0.1 mg/ml herring sperm DNA at a hybridization temperature of 42° C. and subsequently washing the filters in 0.5 ⁇ SSC/0.5% SDS at 60° C.
  • nucleic acid molecules hybridizing to the molecules according to the invention can be isolated from, e.g., genomic or cDNA libraries which are preferably prepared from fungi.
  • nucleic acid molecules can be identified and isolated using the molecules according to the invention or fragments of these molecules or the reverse complements of these molecules, e.g., by hybridization according to standard methods (see, e.g., Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2 nd edition (1989) Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.).
  • Nucleic acid molecules may be used as hybridization probe that exhibit exactly or substantially the same nucleotide sequence depicted in SEQ ID No. 1 or fragments of this sequence.
  • the fragments used as hybridization probe may also be synthetic fragments that were produced using conventional techniques of synthesis and the sequence of which is substantially identical to the sequence of a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention.
  • the molecules hybridizing to the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention also comprise fragments, derivatives and allelic variants of the nucleic acid molecules described above that encodes a protein according to the invention.
  • “Fragments” are understood to be parts of the nucleic acid molecules that are long enough to encode a protein with fructosyltransferase activity.
  • the term “derivative” as used in the present invention means that the sequences of these molecules differ from the sequences of the nucleic acid molecules described above in one or several positions but exhibit a high degree of homology to these sequences.
  • Homology means a sequence identity of at least 40%, particularly an identity of at least 60%, preferably of more than 80%, and even more preferred of more than 90%.
  • the proteins encoded by these nucleic acid molecules preferably have a sequence identity to the amino acid sequence indicated in SEQ ID No. 2 of at least 60%, preferably of at least 70%, particularly of at least 80%, particularly preferred of at least 90%, and most preferred of at least 95%.
  • the deviations from the nucleic acid molecules described above may be brought about by, e.g., deletion, substitution, insertion and/or recombination.
  • Nucleic acid molecules according to the invention may be other derivatives of the sequences of fungal origin. A derivatization of the sequences may be required so as to facilitate expression in certain host cells.
  • nucleic acid molecules that are homologous to the molecules described above and represent derivatives of said molecules are regularly variations of these molecules that represent modifications exerting the same biological function. These variations may be either naturally occurring, for example sequences from other strains or organisms, or mutations. These mutations may have occurred naturally or may have been introduced by specific mutagenesis. Also, the variations may be synthetically produced sequences.
  • allelic variants may be either naturally occurring variants or synthetically produced or generated by recombinant DNA techniques.
  • the proteins encoded by the various variants of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention preferably have certain characteristics in common such as enzymatic activity, molecular weight, immunological reactivity or conformation or physical properties as the electrophoretic mobility in gel electrophoreses, chromatographic behavior, sedimentation coefficient, solubility, spectroscopic properties, stability, pH optimum or temperature optimum.
  • the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention encode a polypeptide having the properties of a fungal fructosyltransferase, particularly preferred from Aspergillus and most preferred of a fructosyltransferase from Aspergillus sydowi.
  • the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention may be either DNA or RNA molecules. Examples of corresponding DNA molecules are genomic DNA or cDNA molecules.
  • the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention can be isolated from natural sources, for example from fungi, particularly Aspergillus and preferably from Aspergillus sydowi , or they may be synthesized according to known methods.
  • nucleic acid molecules according to the invention can be introduced by way of conventional techniques of molecular biology (see, e.g., Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2 nd edition (1989) Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.). Such an introduction induces the synthesis of proteins with potentially modified biological properties.
  • One approach is to generate deletion mutants in which nucleic acid molecules are generated by progressive deletions at the 5′ or at the 3′ end of the coding DNA sequence that lead to the synthesis of correspondingly truncated proteins.
  • Another approach is to specifically produce enzymes that are localized in various compartments due to the addition of signal sequences. In order to achieve a localization of the proteins according to the invention in the cytosol, no signal sequences have to be added to the sequence indicated in SEQ ID No. 2.
  • point mutations might also be introduced at positions where a modification of the amino acid sequence influences, for example, the enzyme activity or the regulation of the enzyme.
  • mutants with a modified K m -value may be produced, or mutants which are no longer subject to the regulation mechanisms by allosteric regulation or covalent modification usually occurring in cells.
  • mutants with a modified substrate or product specificity may be produced.
  • mutants with a modified activity-temperature-profile may be produced.
  • nucleic acid molecules of the invention or fragments of these molecules may be integrated into plasmids which allow for a mutagenesis or a sequence modification by recombination of DNA sequences.
  • base exchanges may be carried out or natural or synthetic sequences may be added.
  • adapters or linkers may be attached to the fragments.
  • use can be made of manipulations which offer suitable restriction sites or which remove superfluous DNA or restriction sites.
  • deletions or substitutions may be useful, in vitro mutagenesis, “primer repair”, restriction or ligation may be used.
  • primary repair restriction or ligation
  • use is generally made of a sequence analysis, a restriction analysis or further biochemico-molecularbiological methods.
  • the invention relates to vectors which contain the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention.
  • these vectors are plasmids, cosmids, viruses, bacteriophages and other vectors common in genetic engineering.
  • the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention is operably linked in the vector according to the invention with regulatory elements which allow transcription and synthesis of a translatable RNA in pro- and/or eukaryotic cells.
  • a vector according to the invention contains the following elements:
  • Such a vector may contain additional genes such as marker genes allowing selection of the vector in a suitable host cell and under appropriate conditions.
  • Expression of the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention includes the transcription of the nucleic acid molecule into a translatable mRNA. Regulatory elements allowing the expression of the nucleic acid molecule in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells are known to the person skilled in the art. Possible regulatory elements which are suitable for the expression of the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention in prokaryotic host cells include, for example, the P L , lac, trp or tac promoter in E. coli . It is particularly preferred to use the lacZ promoter which is inducible in E. coli IPTG.
  • regulatory elements allowing the expression in eukaryotic host cells are the AOX1 and the GAL1 promoter in yeast or the CMV, SV40, RSV promoter, CMV enhancer, SV40 enhancer or a globin intron in mammalian cells or other animal cells.
  • yeast the promoter of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae is preferably used which is highly active in yeast.
  • suitable vector systems have been described in the prior art., for example in Sambrook, Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual (1989), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, N.Y., and in Ausubel, Current Protocols in Molecular Biology (1989), Green Publishing Associates and Wiley Interscience, N.Y.
  • Regulatory elements for the expression of the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention in plant cells is in principle any promoter, enhancer, terminator, etc., which is active in plant cells.
  • the promoter may be selected in such a way that the expression takes place constitutively or in a certain tissue, at a certain point of time of the plant development or at a point of time determined by external circumstances. With respect to the plant the promoter may be homologous or heterologous.
  • Suitable promoters for a constitutive expression are, e.g., the 35S RNA promoter of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,605) and the ubiquitin promoter (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,399) for a constitutive expression, the patatin gene promoter B33 (Rocha-Sosa, EMBO J. 8 (1989), 23-29) for a tuber-specific expression in potato, or a promoter which ensures expression only in photosynthetically active tissues, e.g., the ST-LS1 promoter (Stockhaus, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.
  • promoters can also be used that are activated only at a certain point of time determined by external circumstances (see, e.g., WO 93/07279).
  • Promoters of heat-shock proteins allowing a simple induction can be of specific interest.
  • seed-specific promoters such as the USP promoter of Vicia faba
  • seed-specific promoters such as the USP promoter of Vicia faba
  • seed-specific promoters such as the USP promoter of Vicia faba
  • seed-specific promoters such as the USP promoter of Vicia faba
  • seed-specific promoters such as the USP promoter of Vicia faba
  • seed-specific promoters such as the USP promoter of Vicia faba
  • fruit-specific promoters can be used such as described in WO 91/01373.
  • cis-regulatory elements of a polygalacturonase promoter from tomato are suitable which are active in the outer or inner pericarp (Nicholass et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 28 (1995), 423-435; Montgomery et al., Plant Cell 5 (1993), 1049-1062).
  • Another fruit-specific promoter for tomato is described by Van Haaren et al. (Plant Mol. Biol. 21 (1993), 625-640).
  • promoters for an endosperm-specific expression may be used, such as the glutelin promoter (Leisy, Plant Mol. Biol. 14 (1990), 41-50; Zheng, Plant J. 4 (1993), 357-366), the HMG promoter of wheat, the USP promoter, the phaseolin promoter or promoters of zein genes of maize (Pedersen, Cell 29 (1982), 1015-1026; Quattrocchio, Plant Mol. Biol. 15 (1990), 81-93) or the shrunken-1-promoter (sh-1) of maize (Werr, EMBO J. 4 (1985), 1373-1380).
  • glutelin promoter Leisy, Plant Mol. Biol. 14 (1990), 41-50; Zheng, Plant J. 4 (1993), 357-366
  • HMG promoter of wheat the USP promoter
  • the phaseolin promoter or promoters of zein genes of maize Pedersen, Cell 29 (1982), 1015-1026; Quattroc
  • the expression of the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention is particularly advantageous in those parts of the plant which have an increased sucrose content or which store sucrose.
  • organs are, e.g., the root of the sugar beet or the stem of sugar cane and sweet sorghum.
  • promoters mediating expression in these organs, such as the patatin promoter B33 of Solanum tuberosum .
  • the ubiquitin promoter in combination with the first intron may be used.
  • the vectors according to the invention may also possess additional functional units which effect a stabilization of the vector in a host organisms, such as a bacterial replication origin or the 2-micron-DNA for the stabilization and autonomous replication in yeast.
  • nucleic acid molecule contained in the vector according to the invention comprises a region which contains a functional signal sequence for the secretion of the encoded enzyme. Such sequences are known.
  • signal peptide allowing localization of the protein in the vacuole is the signal peptide of the carboxypeptidase Y from yeast (CPY).
  • the corresponding gene has been described in, e.g., Valls et al. (Cell 48, 887-899).
  • Plant signal sequences are, e.g., those of the lectin genes from barley (Raikhel and Lerner, Dev. Genet. 12 (1991), 255-269) or the 43 amino acids from the N-terminal region of the mature phytohemagglutinin of beans (Tague et al., Plant Cell 2 (1990), 533-546).
  • An example of a C-terminal signal peptide is that of chitinase (Neuhaus et al., Plant J. 5 (1994), 45-54).
  • a preferred signal sequence is, e.g. the signal sequence of the proteinase inhibitor II gene from potato. However, any other signal sequence leading to secretion of a polypeptide in the chosen host may be used.
  • the secreted fructosyltransferase may be obtained from the culture medium and used for in vitro syntheses.
  • the nucleic acid molecule contained in the vector contains a region which encodes a signal sequence for the localization in the vacuole of plant cells, preferably that of the patatin gene from potato (Sonnewald, Plant. J. 1 (1998), 95-106). This allows the subcellular localization of the fructosyltransferase in the vacuoles of genetically engineered plant cells and plants, for example sugar beet or potato, and the accumulation of high molecular polyfructoses of the inulin type in the vacuoles.
  • the nucleic acid molecule contained in the vector comprises a region which encodes a signal sequence for the plastidic localization in plant cells.
  • the signal sequence of the ferrodoxin:NADP(+)-oxidoreductase (FNR) of spinach may be used.
  • the sequence contains the 5′ non-translated regions as well as the flanking transit peptide sequence of the cDNA of the plastidic protein ferrodoxin:NADP(+)-oxidoreductase (FNR) of spinach (nucleotide ⁇ 171 to +165; Jansen, Current Genetics 13 (1988), 517-522).
  • the transit peptide of the waxy protein of maize plus the first 34 amino acids of the mature waxy protein may be used as signal sequence.
  • the transit peptide of the waxy protein of maize is used without the first 34 amino acids of the mature waxy protein.
  • the invention relates to plasmids pSK-as1, p112-as1, pA7-as1, p35-as1, p35-s3-as1, the construction of which is described in the Examples ( FIG. 1 to 5 ).
  • the nucleic acid molecules and expression vectors according to the invention allow the production of polyfructoses of the inulin type in various host organisms, particularly in plants, fungi and bacteria.
  • the encoded enzymes may be also used outside the host organisms for the production of polyfructoses of the inulin type. I.e., it is particularly possible to use the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention for the production of the proteins encoded by them in any host cells, to obtain the protein from the host cells and/or the culture medium and to use it for the in vitro synthesis of inulin.
  • a construct which contains the alcohol dehydrogenase promoter and a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention may be used for the transformation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae .
  • yeasts are not capable of taking up sucrose, cells should be used that express a sucrose transporter due to the introduction of a heterologous DNA sequence. The production of such cells has been described, e.g., in Riesmeier et al. (EMBO J. 11 (1992), 4705-4713).
  • Yeasts transformed with the above-described construct form long-chain polyfructoses of the inulin type.
  • the fructosyltransferase of Aspergillus sydowi does not possess a signal peptide, it is not secreted.
  • the long-chain polyfructoses are therefore generated in the yeast cells. Yeast cells containing these polyfructoses may be directly used as food additives. If the polyfructoses are to be obtained fermentatively in the culture medium, a signal sequence may be fused to a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention for secretion.
  • the invention in another embodiment, relates to host cells that transiently or stably contain the nucleic acid molecules or vectors according to the invention or that are derived from such a cell.
  • the term “host cell” relates to an organism that is capable of taking up in vitro recombined DNA and optionally synthesizing the proteins encoded by the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention.
  • the host cells may be either of prokaryotic or eukaryotic origin.
  • prokaryotic includes all bacteria that can be transformed or transfected with a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention and that advantageously allow the expression of a protein having fructosyltransferase activity.
  • Prokaryotic host cells include, e.g., both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, such as E. coli, S. typhimurium, Serratia marcescens and Bacillus subtilis .
  • the term “eukaryotic” includes insect cells, fungal cells, plant cells, animal and human cells.
  • Preferred fungal cells are, e.g., those that are or may be used for fermentation, particularly Saccharomyces , particularly preferred S. cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces, Kluyveromyces, Pichia etc.
  • such a fungal cell is a cell from the genus Aspergillus and particularly preferred from the species Aspergillus niger .
  • fructosyltransferase of particular interest is the expression of the fructosyltransferase according to the invention in these cells in combination with a secretory signal sequence, e.g., that of the patatin gene or the 1-SST gene from Aspergillus foetidus (Rehm et al., J. Bac. 180 (1998), 1305-1319), allowing secretion of the fructosyltransferase into the medium.
  • Cells are advantageously used that possess a reduced or no secretory invertase activity at all.
  • Fungal species with no invertase activity of their own are, e.g., Trichoderma reesei .
  • a protocol for the expression of a ⁇ -fructofuranosidase (the invertase from A. niger ) has been described, e.g., in Bergés et al. (Curr. Genet. 24 (1993), 53-59).
  • a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention which encodes a protein having fructosyltransferase activity, or a corresponding vector, may be transfected or transformed with the host cell by conventional techniques by the person skilled in the art. Processes for producing fused, operably linked genes and their expression in suitable host cells are well-known to those skilled in the art and have been described, e.g., in Sambrook or Ausubel, see above.
  • Preferred hosts are E. coli fungi, particularly yeasts, and plant cells.
  • the cells according to the invention are preferably characterized in that the nucleic acid molecule introduced is heterologous with respect to the transformed cell, i.e., that it does not naturally occur in these cells, or that it is localized in a locus of the genome different from that of the corresponding naturally occurring sequence.
  • the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention When the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention are expressed in plants it is generally possible that the synthesized protein is localized in any compartment of the plant cell.
  • the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention may be linked to DNA sequences that ensure localization in the desired compartment; see above. Such sequences are known (see, e.g., Braun, EMBO J. 11 (1992), 3219-3227; Wolter, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85 (1988), 846-850; Sonnewald, Plant J. 1 (1991), 95-106; Rocha-Sosa, EMBO J. 8 (1989), 23-29).
  • the hosts according to the invention thus comprise transgenic plants cells, plant tissues and plants that are transformed with one or several nucleic acid molecule(s) according to the invention, as well as transgenic plant cells that originate from cells transformed in this manner.
  • Such cells contain one or several nucleic acid molecule(s) which is (are) preferably linked with regulatory DNA elements allowing transcription in plant cells, particularly with a promoter.
  • Such cells can be distinguished from naturally occurring plant cells in that they contain at least one nucleic acid molecule according to the invention which does not naturally occur in these cells or in that such a molecule is localized in a locus of the genome of the cells where it is not naturally localized, i.e., in different genomic surroundings.
  • the present invention relates to plant cells containing in their cytosol the protein according to the invention.
  • the sequence indicated as SEQ ID No. 2 is to be used without further signal sequences.
  • the present invention relates to plant cells containing the protein according to the invention in their plastids.
  • nucleic acid molecules according to the invention may be modified in the above-described manner.
  • vacuole Since the vacuole is usually capable of storing large amounts of sucrose, which serves the protein according to the invention as substrate, this compartment is perfectly suitable to generate plant cells which due to the activity of a protein according to the invention produced polyfructose in the vacuoles.
  • the present invention therefore relates to plant cells containing in the vacuole the protein according to the invention.
  • nucleic acid molecules and/or vectors according to the invention have to be constructed to mediate a localization of the protein according to the invention in the vacuole.
  • the transgenic plant cells and plant tissues may be regenerated to whole plants by methods known to those skilled in the art.
  • the plants obtainable by regeneration of the transgenic plant cells according to the invention are also the subject matter of the present invention.
  • Another subject matter of the present invention are plants that contain the transgenic plant cells described above.
  • the plants according to the invention may generally be plants of any plant species, preferably they are monocotyledonous or dicotyledonous plants.
  • the plant cells originate from agriculturally useful plants, i.e., plants that are cultivated by man for the purpose of provision with food or for technical, particularly industrial purposes.
  • the inventions relates to fiber-producing (e.g., flax, hemp, cotton), oil-storing (e.g., rape, sunflower, soy bean), sugar-storing (e.g., sugar beet, sugar cane, sweet sorghum, banana) and protein-storing plants (e.g., leguminosae).
  • fiber-producing e.g., flax, hemp, cotton
  • oil-storing e.g., rape, sunflower, soy bean
  • sugar-storing e.g., sugar beet, sugar cane, sweet sorghum, banana
  • protein-storing plants e.g., leguminosae
  • the invention relates to forage plants (e.g., fodder or forage grasses, alfalfa, clover, etc.), vegetables (e.g., melon, tomato, banana, chicory, leek, asparagus, carrots) or starch-storing plants (wheat, barley, oats, rye, potato, maize, rice, pea, cassava, mungo bean).
  • forage plants e.g., fodder or forage grasses, alfalfa, clover, etc.
  • vegetables e.g., melon, tomato, banana, chicory, leek, asparagus, carrots
  • starch-storing plants wheat, barley, oats, rye, potato, maize, rice, pea, cassava, mungo bean.
  • the invention relates to plant cells from sucrose-containing plants (e.g., sugar beet, potato, rice, wheat, sugar cane, etc.). Particularly preferred are sugar beet, chicory, rice, maize, potato, sugar cane and wheat.
  • sucrose-containing plants e.g., sugar beet, potato, rice, wheat, sugar cane, etc.
  • Particularly preferred are sugar beet, chicory, rice, maize, potato, sugar cane and wheat.
  • the invention also relates to the propagation material and harvest products of the plants according to the invention, for example, fruits, seeds, tubers, root stocks, seedlings, cuttings, calli, cell cultures, etc.
  • the present invention also relates to processes for producing transgenic plants wherein
  • the term “genetically modified” means that the plant cell is modified in its genetic information due to the introduction of a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention and that the presence or the expression of the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention results in a phenotypic modification.
  • Phenotypic modification preferably means a detectable modification of one or several functions of the cells.
  • genetically modified plants according to the invention exhibit an activity of the protein according to the invention or an increased overall fructosyl transferase activity.
  • the plants can be regenerated according to step (b) according to methods well-known to the person skilled in the art.
  • step (c) of the processes according to the invention may be done, for example, either vegetatively (for example using cuttings, tubers or by callus culture and regeneration of whole plants) or generatively.
  • Generative propagation preferably proceeds in a controlled manner, i.e., selected plants having specific properties are cross-bred and propagated.
  • the present invention relates to the plants obtainable by the processes according to the invention.
  • the present invention also relates to the propagation material of plants according to the invention as well as the transgenic plants generated by the processes according to the invention.
  • the term “propagation material” comprises those parts of the plant that are suitable for producing successors either by the vegetative or generative route.
  • vegetative propagation e.g., fruits, seed, seedlings, protoplasts, cell cultures, etc.
  • the propagation material are tubers and seeds.
  • the present invention relates to harvestable plant parts of the plants according to the invention, such as fruits, leaves, storage roots, roots, flowers, buds, sprouts or stems, preferably seeds or tubers.
  • the present invention relates to foodstuff for animals and/or humans which contain the harvestable plant parts according to the invention, preferably sees or tubers.
  • the plant parts according to the invention after consumption, have an advantageous effect on the health of humans and/or animals as compared to the corresponding parts of plants that have not been genetically modified in the manner described in the invention.
  • the foodstuff for animals and/or humans described in the invention may, for example, lead to an improved composition of the intestinal flora, particularly to an increase in the content of bifido bacteria in the intestine, which is presumed to have a positive effect on human health (Izzo, Trends in Food Science & Technology 9 (1998), 255-257).
  • positive effects are preferably prophylactic effects or effects supporting the utilization of the foodstuff.
  • Another subject matter of the invention are processes for producing host cells, whereby suitable host cells are transformed with a nucleic acid molecule or vector according to the invention. Processes for the transformation of the various host cells to be contemplated are known to the person skilled in the art.
  • the present invention relates to processes for producing a fructosyltransferase, whereby a host according to the invention is cultivated under conditions sufficient for the expression of the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention and then the fructosyltransferase is isolated from the culture, i.e., the cells and/or the possibly present culture medium.
  • the transformed or transfected host cells are cultivated, for example, in fermenters until an optimum cell density is reached.
  • expression of the protein encoded by the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention is induced only at the end of the fermentation step.
  • the protein expressed in this manner can then be purified from the medium, cell lysates or cellular membrane fractions according to conventional techniques.
  • the proteins which have been expressed may be isolated and purified by preparative chromatographic or immunological purification methods, for example, by using monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies which recognize the protein encoded by the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention.
  • the protein having fructosyltransferase activity and being encoded by the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention may contain additional functional amino acid sequences, for example protein tags (GST, GFP, Flag, HA peptide, His-tag) that may originate from heterologous proteins or may have been synthetically produced.
  • the invention furthermore relates to proteins possessing fructosyltransferase activity, i.e., fructosyltransferases encoded by the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention or obtainable by the method according to the invention.
  • the fructosyltransferases according to the invention may preferably be used to produce polyfructoses of the inulin type. They may also serve to produce antibodies which may be used to detect and/or purify fructosyltransferases.
  • nucleic acid molecules that specifically hybridize to the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention or fragments thereof.
  • These molecules are preferably oligonucleotides with a length of at least 10, particularly 15 and particularly preferred at least 50 nucleotides.
  • the oligo-nucleotides according to the invention may, e.g., be used as primers for a PCR reaction, as hybridization probes or the like.
  • Another subject matter of the present invention are processes for producing polyfructoses, particularly of the inulin type, whereby host cells according to the invention, or host organisms containing them, are cultivated under conditions allowing expression of the fructosyltransferase according to the invention as well as synthesis of polyfructose.
  • nucleic acid molecules according to the invention it has become possible to produce—by way of methods of gene technology—polyfructoses, particularly of the inulin type, in organisms, such as has not been possible so far using conventional methods. It is thus possible to express the nucleic acid molecules according to the invention in hosts such as bacteria, fungi or plant cells in order to increase the activity of the corresponding fructosyltransferase or to introduce it into cells that normally do not express said enzyme. Due to the expression or additional expression of at least one nucleic acid molecule according to the invention the host cells according to the invention synthesize polyfructose, particularly of the inulin type.
  • polyfructoses particularly of the inulin type, obtainable from the host cells according to the invention as well as obtainable from the propagation material and, for plants, obtainable from the plants and their harvest products.
  • the present invention particularly relates to the production of polyfructoses, particularly of the inulin type, comprising:
  • the host cells preferably are plant cells and the hosts are preferably plants.
  • a method for obtaining polyfructose, particularly of the inulin type, from plants is described in, e.g., Vogel (in: Inulin and Inulin-containing Crops, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. Amsterdam, A. Fuchs (Ed.) (1993), 65-75).
  • Another subject matter of the present invention is an in vitro process for producing polyfructose, particularly of the inulin type, comprising:
  • a substrate equivalent to sucrose is, for example, a substrate that is converted to sucrose by the host cell or one or several other enzyme(s).
  • a substrate equivalent to sucrose may also be those di- or oligosaccharides which may be alternatively used as substrate by the fructosyltransferase according to the invention.
  • An example of these saccharides is the trisaccharide raffinose.
  • derivatized sucrose may also be used.
  • the inulin obtained according to the above-mentioned process is a long-chain inulin and preferably has a polymerization degree of DP>20, preferably of DP>50, particularly of DP>100, and particularly preferred a polymerization degree of DP>200.
  • the present invention furthermore relates to a process for producing polyfructose, particularly of the inulin type, comprising the step of extracting the polyfructose from one of the above-described plants/plant cells and or from parts of such plants according to the invention.
  • a process for producing polyfructose comprising the step of extracting the polyfructose from one of the above-described plants/plant cells and or from parts of such plants according to the invention.
  • a process also comprises the step of harvesting the cultivated plants and/or parts of these plants prior to extracting the polyfructose and particularly preferred the step of cultivating the plants according to the invention before harvesting them.
  • Processes for extracting the polyfructose from plants or parts of plants are known to those skilled in the art and have been described by, e.g., Gibson (International Sugar Journal 96 (1994), 381-387), Vogel (Stud. Plant Sci. 3 (1993), Inulin and Inulin-Containing Crops,
  • the present invention relates to polyfructose, particularly of the inulin type, which is obtainable from the host cells according to the invention or according to a process according to the invention described above.
  • This polyfructose may preferably be used for producing surfactants, for increasing the viscosity of aqueous systems, as detergent, as suspension agent for sedimentation acceleration and complexing, or to bind water.
  • the host cells according to the invention which synthesize polyfructose, particularly of the inulin type may be used as food additives.
  • Such use is advantageous since fructans have positive effects on health (Roberfroid et al., J. of Nutrition 128 (1998), 11-19; Kleesen et al., Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 65 (1997), 1397-1402).
  • the present invention furthermore relates to a process for producing polyfructose, particularly of the inulin type, characterized in that a fungal fructosyltransferase is used for producing the polyfructose, or a host organism expressing a fungal fructosyltransferase.
  • a fungal fructosyltransferase is used for producing the polyfructose, or a host organism expressing a fungal fructosyltransferase.
  • fructosyltransferases according to the invention or host cells according to the invention can be used.
  • the present invention shows for the first time that it is possible to use such fungal fructosyltransferases for producing polyfructose of the inulin type.
  • the present invention relates to the use of fungal fructosyltransferases for producing polyfructose, particularly of the inulin type.
  • FIG. 1 shows the construction of pSK-as1 for the transformation of bacteria.
  • FIG. 2 shows the construction of plasmid p112-as1 for the transformation of yeast cells.
  • FIG. 3 shows the construction of plasmid pA7-as1 for the transformation of plant cells.
  • FIG. 4 shows the construction of plasmid p35-as1 for the transformation of plants.
  • FIG. 5 shows the construction of plasmid p35-s3-as1 for the transformation of plants.
  • FIG. 6 shows an analysis by thin-layer chromatography of an E. coli transformed with pSK-as1.
  • Lane 1 shows a control experiment with the vector without insert pBluescript SK.
  • Lane 2 shows an experiment with plasmid pas1 in which the as1 coding region is not in frame with the lacZ gene (lane 2). In this case, translation of the as1 coding region is not carried out as fusion to the ⁇ -glucuronidase but proceeds, with reduced efficiency, starting from the endogenous start codon.
  • Lanes 3 to 6 show experiments with various transformants of construct pSK-as1. After growing the bacteria up to an OD 600 of 0.4, the cultures were induced with 100 mM IPTG.
  • the cells were harvested and lysed in 50 mM sodium phosphate pH 6.0. Protein extracts were incubated for 12 hrs with 600 mM sucrose at 37° C. As standard for thin-layer chromatography, 1-kestose (7), sucrose (8) and fructose (9), respectively, were applied in lanes 7-9.
  • FIG. 7 shows an analysis by thin-layer chromatography of transformed yeast cells containing plasmid p112-as1 (lane 2) or p112-as1L (lane 3).
  • Vector p112-as1 L contains the 5′-leader of the sucrose transporter from spinach.
  • Lane 1 shows a control experiment with non-transformed yeast cells. Fructosyltransferase activity was detected in protein extracts from yeast cells. As standard, fructose (lane 4), a mixture of 1-kestose, nystose and fructosyl-nystose (lane 5) and sucrose (lane 6) was applied.
  • FIG. 8 shows an analysis by thin-layer chromatography of plant cells containing plasmid pA7-as1.
  • Lane 1 shows the transformation with the vector without insert pA7 (50 ⁇ g);
  • lanes 2 to 5 show transformations with vector pA7-as1 (lane 2: 10 ⁇ g; lane 3: 20 ⁇ g; lanes 4 and 5: 50 ⁇ g).
  • a mixture of 1 -kestose, nystose and fructosyl-nystose (lane 6), sucrose (lane 7) and fructose (lane 8) was applied.
  • FIG. 9 shows an analysis by thin-layer chromatography of plants that were transformed with the construct 35-as1. Twelve plants were selected at random. 20 mg leaf material each were extracted in 200 ⁇ l water. 4 ⁇ l of the extract were applied. As standard, fructose (lane F), sucrose (lane S) and a mixture of 1-kestose, nystose and fructosyl-nystose (lane St) were applied.
  • FIG. 10 shows an analysis by thin-layer chromatography of plants which were transformed with the construct 35-S3as1. Twelve plants were selected at random. 20 mg leaf material each were extracted in 200 ⁇ l water. 4 ⁇ l of the extract were applied. As standard, fructose (lane F), sucrose (lane S) and a mixture of 1-kestose, nystose and fructosyl-nystose (lane St) were applied.
  • FIG. 11 shows the eluate “400 to 0 mM ammonium sulfate” of a phenyl superose column which was loaded with a protein extract from Aspergillus sydowi enriched with fructosyltransferase (lane E).
  • lane E a protein extract from Aspergillus sydowi enriched with fructosyltransferase
  • Aspergillus sydowi IAM 2544 was grown on a culture medium that contained 2% malt extract, 0.5% peptone and 2% sucrose. The medium was solidified by adding 2% agar. Spores were plated and the culture was maintained at 25° C. until the plates were completely dried. Conidia were harvested from the plates and dissolved in 50 mM sodium phosphate pH 6.0. Lysis of the conidia was performed by three passages trough a “French Pressure Cell”.
  • the homogenate was adsorbed onto Sepharose Q.
  • Bound protein was eluted with a linear gradient of 0 to 1000 mM KCl.
  • Sucrolytically active fractions were obtained between 500 and 700 mM KCl. These fractions were pooled and dialyzed against sodium phosphate pH 6.0. For enriching the protein, it was again adsorbed onto Sepharose Q (bed volume 2 ml) and eluted in a volume of 10 ml.
  • the eluate was adjusted to 2 M ammonium sulfate and adsorbed to phenyl superose. Elution was carried out after washing with 2 M ammonium sulfate, 100 mM sodium phosphate pH 7.0 with a linear gradient of 2 M to 0 M ammonium sulfate. Active fractions were obtained in the elution gradient between 400 to 0 mM ammonium sulfate. The protein mixture obtained was analyzed by SDS-PAGE. The result is shown in FIG. 11.
  • a semi-native polyacrylamide gel was used onto which 10 ⁇ g protein of the eluate of the phenyl superose column in 0.1% SDS, 10% glycerol, 50 mM Tris pH 6.8 were applied. After electrophoresis the gel was rebuffered three times for 10 minutes in 50 mM sodium phosphate pH 6.0, 1% Triton X 100 and then incubated for 30 minutes in 50 mM sodium phosphate pH 6.0, 1% Triton X 100, 500 mM sucrose.
  • TTC 2,3,5,-triphenyltetrazoliumchloride
  • the protein band labeled in FIG. 11 resulted in a stain due to the sucrolytic activity of the protein, which could thereby be identified as fructosyltransferase of Aspergillus sydowi .
  • the band was isolated from a preparative gel, the protein was eluted from the gel and used for sequencing. Since the protein is N-terminally blocked, cleavages with endopeptidase LysC and AspN performed, the peptides were purified by HPLC and subjected to a sequencing according to Edmann. The following sequences were obtained:
  • LysC VLPSTSQASEK (SEQ ID No. 3) AspN: DDLVTYR (SEQ ID No. 4) DPYVFQNHEV (SEQ ID No. 5)
  • constructs For the transformation of various host cells with fungal fructosyltransferases a number of different constructs was prepared according to molecular-biological standard techniques (Sambrook et al., 1989, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press). The constructs are shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 . Specifically, the constructs were prepared as follows:
  • E. coli was transformed according to the method of Hanahan (J. Mol. Biol. 166 (1983), 557-580), Saccharomyces cerevisiae was transformed according to the method by Dohmen et al. (Yeast 7 (1991), 691-692), transient gene expression in tobacco protoplasts was carried out according to the method by Damm and Willmitzer (Mol. Gen. Genet. 213 (1989), 15-20), stable transformation of potato plants according to the method by Dietze et al. (in: Potrykus, I. and G. Spangenberg (Ed.). Gene transfer to plants. xxii+361 (1995), 24-29; Springer-Verlag: Berlin, Germany; New York, N.Y., USA. ISBN 3-540-58406-4).
  • Transgenic host cells or organisms which express fungal fructosyltransferases were cultured in media with 2% sucrose—unless it was plant tissue.
  • a functional cscB gene encoding the sucrose permease of E. coli was introduced as construct into the vector pACYC184.
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae the gene of the sucrose transporter of spinach was introduced into the vector p112AINE (Riesmeier et al., EMBO J. 11 (1992), 4705-4713). The cells were cultured for at least 24 hrs in the presence of sucrose, then harvested and broken up after washing in 50 mM sodium phosphate pH 6.0.
  • Cells expressing fungal fructosyltransferases were broken up in 50 mM sodium phosphate pH 6.0, 50 ⁇ M PMSF, 1 mM DTT, 10% (v/v) ethylene glycol. Extracts of the cells were incubated in 50 mM sodium phosphate pH 6.0, 500 mM sucrose, 50 ⁇ M PMSF, 1 mM DTT, 0.02% (w/v) NaN 3 , 10% (v/v) ethylene glycol for 12 hrs at 25° C. The mixtures were diluted 1:10 in water, then 4 ⁇ l were applied on pre-cast silica gel DC films (Schleicher and Schüll, Dassel, Germany) and developed twice in acetone/water (87:13). The assay for fructosyl residues was carried out with an urea phosphoric acid reagent (Röber et al., loc. cit.).
  • FIGS. 6 to 10 show silica gel films after thin-layer chromatography of incubation mixtures or cell homogenates and staining with fructose-containing sugar.
  • the carbohydrate mono-, oligo- and polymers are separated according to size. Fructose migrates further than sucrose which in turn migrates further than kestose, etc. Oligomers of a DP>7 and more are not separated and remain at the site of application.
  • FIG. 6 one can see that E coli clones that are transformed with a pBluescript vector without insert are not capable of converting sucrose (lane 1), while those transformed with plasmid pas1 synthesize the trisaccharide kestose. Clones that are transformed with plasmid pSK-as1 are also capable of synthesizing higher oligomers (lanes 3-6). Simultaneously, fructose residues are transferred to water, thereby forming fructose. Said conversion is catalyzed by the SFT from Aspergillus sydowi .
  • FIG. 7 shows that protein extracts of yeasts that are transformed with plasmid 112-as1 may synthesize fructan.
  • the fructosyltransferase activity is higher in these yeasts than in those which were transformed with the construct 112-as1L.
  • the latter due to the smaller fructosyltransferase activity achieved within the time available in the experiment—can only synthesize the trisaccharide.
  • the size of the fructans synthesized depends on the reaction time and the fructosyltransferase activity.
  • FIG. 8 demonstrates that the size of the fructan synthesized in the extracts of transformed tobacco protoplasts depends at the given reaction time on the amount of fructosyltransferase activity achieved, which in turn depends on the amount plasmid pA7-as1 transformed.

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